RELATED ARTICLES

Share this article

Share

The change will mean that on transatlantic flights British passengers will be able to use their gadgets as they land on American soil. However, when they take off from Britain they will not be able to do so.

Under rules drawn up by the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority, electronic devices cannot be used during taxi, takeoff and landing on all fights entering or leaving British airspace.

Safety: Connections to the internet to surf, exchange emails, text or download data will also still be banned below 10,000 feet

However the rules could also change in Britain and across the world if the American research is shown to be credible.

An American travel industry group welcomed the changes yesterday, calling them common-sense accommodations for a traveling public now bristling with technology.

‘We’re pleased the FAA recognizes that an enjoyable passenger experience is not incompatible with safety and security,” said Roger Dow, CEO of the U.S. Travel Association.

Air safety officials backed the changes after agreeing that the electronic gadgets do not interfere with navigation systems and that data used to draw up the ban - typically imposed in aircraft across the world - was from back in the 1960s when such devices were very different.

Phones are excluded in the rule change because they were not involved in the FAA research, although safety officials are now expected to look at this issue separately.

The original rules in the US were written in 1966 when it was thought that electromagnetic interference from computers and other devices could cause problems with navigation systems on board the plane.

Nowadays passenger jets are ‘much more tolerant’ to such interference and the gadgets themselves are much safer.

The report says that this is because they use less power, transmit weaker signals and ‘stay within a tighter range of frequencies’.

One key factor behind the US decision has been the sheer number of air passengers ignoring the rules. One survey found that, by accident or on purpose, one third of passengers had left their gadgets on when they should be turned off.

The CAA in the UK is said to be ‘monitoring’ the situation.

Advertisement

Share or comment on this article:

US lifts ban on air travellers using iPads and mobiles: Passengers will be able to use devices during take-off and landing - as long as they are in 'airplane mode'